Richard Gilder Graduate School
Ph.D. Program in Comparative Biology
Unparalleled access to the resources of the Museum of Natural History, including its world-renowned collections, exceptional natural history library of more than 550,000 scientific volumes, and over 45 distinguished faculty members are available to students enrolled in the Ph.D Program in Comparative Biology.
AMNH Offers Unique Resources For Students
- Access to one of the world's greatest natural history collections
- A legacy of leadership in field and theoretical sciences
- A long tradition of interdisciplinary approaches to research
- A public mission, providing a bridge between science and society
Associate Professor, and Associate Curator, Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Division of Physical Sciences. Dr. Goodkin’s research is focused on understanding and using coral geochemistry to reconstruct ocean-atmosphere interactions, climate behavior, and pollution histories over the past 500 years.

Assistant Professor and Assistant Curator of Biological Anthropology, Division of Anthropology. Dr. Hammond works on the fossil record for hominoid (ape and human) evolution in East Africa. Her interests in human origins centers on the evolution of locomotor behaviors, especially bipedal locomotion, which is the hallmark of the human lineage.

New Class of Scientists and Teachers Graduates from Museum
M. Shanley/© AMNH
On Wednesday, September 14, the American Museum of Natural History held its 2022 Richard Gilder Graduate School Commencement Program under the iconic blue whale in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, conferring Ph.D. degrees to graduates in the comparative biology program and MAT to graduates in the Master of Arts in Teaching Earth Science Residency Program.
Volunteer with the Gilder School
The Gilder Graduate School has an opening for a smart, dedicated volunteer to assist with many facets of the School’s work. Duties will range from data entry, proofreading and filing, to higher level projects such as conducting online research, assembling and sharing information, and assisting with special events. Experience working in Excel and Word is necessary. The hours are flexible within Mon-Fri., 9am-5pm. To be considered, apply here.
2018 & 2019 Ph.D. Graduate Profiles
The Museum expresses its utmost appreciation to Richard Gilder, a steadfast and most generous benefactor and friend whose visionary philanthropy enabled the Museum to establish the Gilder Graduate School.
Additional support for the Richard Gilder Graduate School has been generously provided by the Hess Foundation, Inc.; an anonymous Museum Trustee; the City of New York; Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., Gerstner Family Foundation; and the Annette Kade Charitable Trust.